Pretty good

Rating: 7/10 (21 June 2008)

This was my first experience with Michael Bay, since none of his previous movies really seemed to be my type of thing. He's sort of a punching bag for critics isn't he? It's like his name is now synonymous with bloated action films that have no feeling or depth. But I really enjoyed this one... maybe the fact that it was one of his less successful films is actually a good sign, who knows? It's basically a dystopian sci-fi -- it's obvious that the situation at the beginning of the film cannot continue and that there will be surprises or revelations, so the film earns whatever points it gets by the way it accomplishes the revelation. I very much liked that scene, with Michael Clarke Duncan's huge frame exploding through the lab where doctors are attempting to carve him up for organ donors. It's like the skit in Monty Python's "Meaning of Life" except it's serious -- live organ donors. I find the idea plausible in and of itself so that lends weight to the horror of this possible future. I think if this technology was available people really would take advantage of it because it's true that everyone wants to live forever.
Ewan McGregor is always a lot of fun and adds a lot of class to this movie. Scarlett Johansson can't act to save her life but at least she looks good in a jumpsuit. Steve Buscemi was very fun in the early scenes, I laughed when he had to tell Johansson's character not to wear the kinky nurse outfit as a disguise. I really enjoyed Ethan Phillips in his role too, very endearing. Sean Bean is a much better villain here than he was in "National Treasure." In the end the big effects scenes become a little too much. The character reversal for Djimon Hounsou's character was too predictable. You're not allowed to have a black villain these days, everybody knows that. But the photography in the very last scene was very stirring. I didn't care for the music in general. So I wouldn't say this was a great movie, but it was a very solid sci-fi film with some good ideas and some great action scenes.